Form shaping and constricting garment



July 6, 1943. B. LEWIS 2,323,717

FORM SHAPING ANDCONSTRICTING GARMENT Filed June 23', 1942 INVENTOR. BfNN LfW/S 147TOE/VEY Patented July 6, 1943 UNlTED I STATES r TENTIQOFFICE FORM SHAPING AND ooNs'rRIo'rmo' GARMENT '7 Claims.

This invention relates to form shapingand constricting garments.

Heretofore, it has been the practice to shape and control the figure with garments of inelastic materials which are individually tailored or have adjusting means such as laces, or with garments made from resilient fabrics. Such fabrics include, for example, cloth knitted with inelastic strands, cloth woven at least in part with elastic strands, or sheets of rubber. The garments of flexible inelastic material do not yield to normal body movements and are therefore very uncomfortable to wear. The garments of knitted fabrics exercise too slight a degree of control for use where an appreciable degree of constriction is required. The garments of fabrics woven at least in part with rubber strands, or comprising sheet rubber proved to be the best and most popular for figure control, and have substantially displaced all other form shaping and constricting garments. Rubber, however, is no longer available for garments. I

'It is an object of my invention to provide a form shaping and constricting garment which, without using rubber or special fabrics, will exercise a degree of figure control approximating that of garments containing rubber, which will yield more than the garments of flexible inelastic material, but less than garments of knitted materials, and which will be comfortable to wear and easy to don. I

Another object of my invention is to provide a garment of the character described which comprises relatively few and simple parts, which is economical to manufacture, rugged and durable in construction, and highly efficient in use.

Other objects of this invention willin part be obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements,

and arrangement of parts which will be exempliside-out;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along the plane indicated by the lines 55 in Fig. 1; i

Fig. 6 is a highly enlarged fragmentarydetail of the garment, showing the type of stitch employed and the relative position of the strips in the overlyingplies of the material constituting the garment;

Fig. '7 is aviewsimilar to Fig. 6 of a modified form of my invention.

In general, I carry out the objects of my invention by constructing at least a portion of a garmentfrom two overlying layers of woven fabric, said layers each comprising a series of parallel strips interconnected by flexible and stretchable stitching. The woven fabric in the strips is so arranged that the full bias lines thereof (at 45 to the warp and woof) will run substantially circumferentially and vertically of the wearer.. In addition, theQfull bias lines of overlying strips are. disposed at right angles to each other in order toimpart maximum flexibility, resilience and control to the garment.

Referring now to the drawing and more par ticularly to Figs. 1 through 6, I have there disclosed a girdle if] whichis constructed in accordance with my invention. Said girdle comprises several elongated vertical panels Hl8 which are secured to each other along their side edges by seams l9. These seams I9 may be reinforced by tapes 20 which are secured at their edges by seams 2| to the vertical panels lll8. If desired, stays 22 may beintroduced in some of the pockets between the tapes 26 and the vertical panels to stiffen the girdle against vertical flex- In accordance with my invention, one or more of said vertical panels I|-l8 are so constructed that it is resilient both circumferentially and vertically of the wearer and will impart a high degree of flexibility and control, without employing any ."rubber. One such construction, shown in a typical panel I I, comprises two over- ,lying woven fabric plies 23 and 24 secured at their side edges to each other by the seams l9,

TH and at their top and bottom edges by binding tapesT. Each ply 23,24 consists of sundry juxtaposed strips 25 which have their juxtaposed edges" 26, disposed parallelfto the warp or woof (indicated by cross hatching in Figs. 1-4) of the fabric comprising said strip. Said strips, more- I over, are all'so arranged on the garment that, the ,full .bias'lines'ithereof will be disposed substantially vertically and circumferentially of the mi- 35 2 51? h w es were the strips (which being parallel to the warp and woof, are disposed at an angle of 45 to the full bias lines), are arranged at an angle of about 45 to the vertical and horizontal.

The strips 25 in the two overlying plies 23, 24 are arranged at an angle of substantially 90 to each other in order that an equal resilient opposition to stretch and equal figure control will be obtained in each unit area of the panel I I. It is apparent that this arrangement of the strips counteracts any tendency of the panel H to be unevenly resilient, even if the resiliency of the fabric along the two full bias lines is unequal. It will be appreciated, moreover, that where the strips in the two overlying panels are so relatively disposed, the tendency of either of said panels to become locally permanently deformed will be greatly lessened.

The strips in each ply 23, 24 are connected to adjacent strips in the same ply by rows of flexible, resilient stitches 27 which permit relative movement between said strips and hold the edges of the strips in parallel, spaced relationship. One such type of stitch is feather-fagoting, illustrated in detail in Fig. 6. In this stitch, legs 28 are alternately anchored at one end to the juxtaposed edges 26 of opposed fabric strips 25. Said legs are disposed, for a reason which will soon be apparent, substantially perpendicular to said juxtaposed edges. The free ends of adjacent legs are connected by courses 29 running almost parallel to said edges 26. The strands of thread forming the courses 29 are twisted around one another whereby each row of stitches 21 tends at all times to assume its normal shape (Fig. 6). However when a circumferential or vertical strain is applied, the legs and courses of the stitches 21 are distorted from normal. For example, if a circumferential strain is applied, the legs 28 will deflect toward horizontal position and toward alignment with alternate connecting courses 29, which are also distorted toward horizontal position and stretched and tensioned. The intermediate courses 29 are contracted and compressed and deflected toward vertical position.

I have found that the combined resiliency and flexibility of the strips and stitches, constructed and arranged in the above manner, will impart a satisfactory degree of constriction and control for moulding a feminine figure, will impart a relatively high degree of comfort, and will allow relative freedom of movement.

Several adjacent sections l3, I4 and I5 running from the front central panel l2 to the wholly inelastic rear central panel l6 around a side of the garment may be constructed in the manner above described, and I prefer that in 'such case the lines of stitches 21 and juxtaposed edges 26 of the strips in adjacent panels be substantially in alignment to both impart a pleasing effect to the eye and obtain a uniformly distributed resilience. It will be noted (Figs. land 2) that the strips 25 forming the outer plies 23 on opposite sides of the garments have their edges 26 oppositely diagonally disposed to further balance the constrictive effect. The inner plies 24 are similarly arranged (Figs. 3 and 4) Various standard accessories, such as are ordinarily employed in a garment of this type may be incorporated. For example, the front panel I2 may include an upper section '20 comprising two plies of woven fabric, the warp and woof of which are disposed horizontally and vertically so that said panel will be substantiallyinelastic.

Said front panel includes a pair of stays 3| to provide extra stiffness for flattening the abdomen. Said inelastic panel 20 extends only over the upper half of the front panel l2, and the lower half of said front panel is rendered resilient in accordance with my invention by the use of a pair of elongated vertical sub-panels 32 and 33 constructed in the same fashion as the panel ll. Said right and left sub-panels 32, 33 may have their component strips 25, in both outer and inner plies, slanted in the same manner as the strips in the respective adjacent panels ll, [3 (Figs. 1 and 3) and the centrally disposed side edges of said sub-panels and of the outer and inner plies are secured to each other by a row of stitching 34.

The usual garters 35, and a row of rapidly attaching and detaching means 36 may also be provided.

In Fig. 7 I have shown another form of stitching 21' for connecting adjacent strips 25' in the same ply. Said stitching comprises a plurality of zigzag courses 40 whose opposite ends are anchored on opposite juxtaposed edges 26'. Said courses are so arranged that the strips 25 may be shifted relative to one another. For this purpose, I dispose each course at an angle to a juxtaposed edge 26 which lies between either 45 and the vertical, or 45 and the horizontal. This will permit the courses to be distorted under either vertical or circumferential strain toward a corresponding vertical or horizontal position.

It will thus be seen that there is provided a device in which the several objects of this invention are achieved, and which is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as Various changes might be made in the embodiments above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawing is to be intrepreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A garment of the character described for shaping and constricting the human form, comprising a plurality of panels connected to each other along their side edges, at least one of said panels including an outer and an inner ply, each of said plies comprising a plurality of juxtaposed, parallel, woven fabric strips attached to each other along their side edges by stitching which normally maintains said side edges in spaced relationship and which is resilient, the strips in the outer ply being disposed substantially perpendicularly to the strips in the inner ply, the warp or woof of said strips being parallel to said juxtaposed edges and the said juxtaposed edges being disposed at an engle of substantially 45 to the vertical whereby the full bias lines of said strips will be disposed substantially vertically and circumferentially of said garment.

2. A garment of the character described for shaping and constricting the human form, comprising a plurality of panels connected to each other along their side edges, at least one of said panels including an outer and an inner ply, each of said plies comprising a plurality of juxtaposed, parallel, woven fabric .strips attached to each other along theirjuxtaposed edges by featherfagoting, the strips in the outer ply being .disposed substantially perpendicularly to the strips in the inner ply, the warp or woof of said strips being parallel to said juxtaposed edges and said juxtaposed edges being disposed at an angle of substantially 45 to the vertical whereby the full bias lines of said strips will be disposed substantially vertically and circumferentially of said garment.

3. A garment oi the character described for shaping and constricting the human form, comprising a plurality of panels connected to each other along their side edges, at least one of said panels including an outer and an inner ply, each of said plies comprising a plurality of juxtaposed, parallel, woven fabric strips attached to each other along their juxtaposed edges by featherfagoting having legs substantially normal to said juxtaposed edges and courses substantially parallel to said juxtaposed edges, the strips in the outer ply being disposed substantially perpendicularly to the strips in the inner ply, the warp or Woof of said strips being parallel to said juxtaposed edges and said juxtaposed edges being disposed at an angle of substantially 45 to the Vertical whereby the full bias lines of said strips will be disposed substantially vertically and circumferentially of said garment.

4. A garment of the character described for shaping and constricting the human form, comprising a plurality of panels connected to each other along their side edges, at least one of said panels including an outer and "an inner ply, each of said plies comprising a plurality of juxtaposed, parallel, woven fabric strips attached to each other along their juxtaposed edges by zig-zag stitching, the strips in the outer ply being disposed substantially perpendicularly to the strips in the inner ply, the warp or woof of said strips being parallel to said juxtaposed edges and said juxtaposed edges being disposed at an angle of substantially 45 to the vertical whereby the full bias lines of said strips will be disposed substantially vertically and circumferentially of said garment.

5. A garment of the character described for shaping and constricting the human form, comprising a plurality of panels connected to each other along their side edges, at least one of said panels including an outer and an inner ply, each of said plies comprising a plurality of juxtaposed, parallel, woven fabric strips attached to each other along their juxtaposed edges by zig-zag stitching whose courses lie between 45 of the vertical and the horizontal, the strips in the outer ply being disposed substantially perpendicularly to the strips in the inner ply, the warp or woof of said strips being parallel to said juxtaposed edges and said juxtaposed edges being disposed at an angle of substantially 45 to the vertical whereby the full bias lines of said strips will be disposed substantially vertically and circumferentially of said garment.

6. A garment of the character described comprising a plurality of panels connected to each other along their side edges, at least two adjacent panels including outer and inner plies, each of said plies comprising a plurality of juxtaposed, parallel, woven fabric strips of equal width, the strips in each of said panels being connected to juxtaposed strips in the same panel, the strips in the outer ply being disposed substantially perpendicular to the strips in the inner ply, the warp or woof of said strips lying parallel to the juxtaposed edges thereof, said juxtaposed edges being disposed at an angle of 45 to the vertical whereby the full bias lines of said strips will be disposed substantially vertically and circumferentially of said garment, said juxtaposed edges of strips in adjacent outer panels being aligned and said juxtaposed edges of strips in adjacent inner panels being aligned.

'l. A garment of the character described comprising a plurality of panels connected to each other along their side edges, two sets of adjacent panels including outer and inner plies in each panel, each set running from th front center to the rear center of said garment around a side thereof, each of said plies comprising a plurality of juxtaposed, parallel, woven fabric strips of equal width, the strips in each of said panels being connected to juxtaposed strips in the same panel by stitching which maintains the juxtaposed edges of said panels in parallel spaced relationship, the strips in the outer ply being disposed substantially perpendicular to the strips in the inner ply, the warp or woof of said strips lying parallel to said juxtaposed edges thereof, said juxtaposed edges being disposed at an angle of 45 to the vertical whereby the full bias lines of said strips will be disposed substantially vertically and circumferentially of said garment, said juxtaposed edges of strips in adjacent outer panels being aligned and said juxtaposed edges of strips in adjacent inner panels being aligned, said juxtaposed edges of the strips in the outer and inner plies of the two sets being oppositely slanted.

BENN LEWIS. 

